Amino Acids and BCAAs

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Indeed, amino acids are the alphabet of life, combining to form protein structures including muscle tissue, enzymes and hormones. Amino acids are either essential (must be derived from one's diet), nonessential (can be synthesized within the body from the breakdown of proteins and other amino acids) or conditionally essential (amino acids which cannot be synthesized in certain situations and therefore must be consumed).

 

The 23 most common amino acids are the following: Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartic Acid, Cysteine, Cystine, Glutamine, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Histidine, Hydroxyproline, Leucine & Isoleucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Taurine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, and Valine.

Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's) are different from the other 17 amino acids in that in one of their roles, they are a primary source of fuel for skeletal muscles. This makes them of particular value and importance to elite athletes as far as sports supplements are concerned.

Due to the incredible efficiency of the human body, if adequate amino acids are not available during an intense workout, the body may start to cannibalize muscle tissue to make up for the deficit. That's why pre-workout amino acid supplementation and the postworkout anabolic window is vitally important for maintaining positive nitrogen balance and building muscle mass with protein amino acids consumption.